Congressmen Propose Bipartisan Pipeline Safety Reform Bill After Pennsylvania Jet Fuel Leak

After a jet fuel leak contaminated wells in Pennsylvania, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Suozzi introduced the Wojnovich Pipeline Safety Act, proposing the strongest U.S. pipeline safety reforms in a decade, including stricter leak detection, transparency, and emergency-response rules.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) have introduced the Wojnovich Pipeline Safety Act, a bipartisan bill that would strengthen federal oversight of hazardous liquid pipelines following a jet fuel leak earlier this year in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania.

The legislation — named for the Wojnovich family, who first detected the leak from Sunoco’s Twin Oaks pipeline — seeks to overhaul emergency response, transparency, and safety requirements nationwide.

The Jan. 31 incident released jet fuel into the community’s groundwater, contaminating at least six private wells. Fitzpatrick, who led the federal response, called the event “a wake-up call for stronger national standards.”

“Every page of this bill is shaped by what Upper Makefield families lived through — the gaps in testing, the delays in information, the uncertainty about their water, and the absence of clear standards for communication and emergency response,” Fitzpatrick said. “The Wojnovich Pipeline Safety Act closes those gaps with the strongest pipeline safety reforms in more than a decade.”

Key provisions would:

• Establish new federal grants to modernize aging pipelines and replace high-risk segments.
• Require the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to improve its public Pipeline Viewer for real-time data on leaks, inspections, and remediation.
• Mandate pipeline disclosure to homebuyers before property sales.
• Create localized emergency alert systems and stricter inspection rules for older or repaired lines.
• Impose multi-million-dollar penalties for delayed leak reporting or failure to remediate contamination.
• Reimburse fire and EMS departments for cleanup and response costs.

Suozzi called the bill “a commonsense, bipartisan step to modernize outdated infrastructure, prevent dangerous leaks, and ensure that emergency responders and the public are informed and protected.”

Kristine Wojnovich, whose family’s well was among those contaminated, said the measure represents accountability for affected residents. “When our family first reported the smell of fuel in our water, we were made to feel like we were imagining it. Speaking up wasn’t easy, but we refused to stay quiet because we knew something was dangerously wrong.”

The legislation follows months of oversight by federal and state agencies, including PHMSA, EPA, and Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection. Fitzpatrick said the new law would prevent other families from facing “uncertainty, delay, and lack of transparency” after a pipeline failure.